The task of thermal management for microelectronic devices has been increasingly challenging, partly as a result of advances in integration and performance of integrated circuits. Thermal management is especially important in the operation of silicon microprocessors as relentlessly increasing frequency targets push power output, and therefore heat generation, to the limits of the cooling capacity of passive air-cooled heatsink technology. Insufficient heat transfer can result in degradation in performance and reliability of those devices or circuits.
Recent focus has turned to thermal management arrangements utilizing fluid flowing through microchannels to dissipate heat. Usually in a closed-loop arrangement, coolant such as water is pumped through the microchannels to take away the heat generated. However, despite the many efforts devoted to develop effective microchannel cooling solutions, there exists a need to improve the current state-of-the-art to achieve smaller pressure drop, and better fluid distribution.